Indian Territory | historical territory, United States | Britannica.com historical territory, United States ancient Greek civilization Indian Territory, originally “all of that part of the United States west of the Mississippi , and not within the States of Missouri and Louisiana , or the Territory of Arkansas.” Never an organized territory, it was soon restricted to the present state of Oklahoma , excepting the panhandle and Greer county. The Choctaw , Creek , Seminole , Cherokee , and Chickasaw tribes were forcibly moved to this area between 1830 and 1843, and an act of June 30, 1834, set aside the land as Indian country (later known as Indian Territory). In 1866 the western half of Indian Territory was ceded to the United States, which opened part of it to white settlers in 1889. This portion became the Territory of Oklahoma in 1890 and eventually encompassed all the lands ceded in 1866. The two territories were united and admitted to the Union as the state of Oklahoma in 1907. Learn More in these related articles: Oklahoma constituent state of the United States of America.

It borders Colorado and Kansas to the north, Missouri and Arkansas to the east, Texas to the south and west, and New Mexico to the west of its Panhandle region. In its land and its people, Oklahoma is a state of contrast and of the unexpected. The... Creek Muskogean-speaking North American Indian tribe that originally occupied a huge expanse of the flatlands of what are now Georgia and Alabama. There were two divisions of Creeks: the Muskogee (or Upper Creeks), settlers of the northern Creek territory; and the Hitchiti and Alabama, who had the same... Seminole (people) North American Indian tribe of Creek origin who speak a Muskogean language. In the last half of the 18th century, migrants from the Creek towns of southern Georgia moved into northern Florida, the former territory of the Apalachee and Timucua. By about 1775 those migrants had begun to be known... 6 References found in Britannica Articles Assorted References Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later.

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Close Date Published: July 20, 1998 URL: Access Date: January 19, 2017 Share Chronicles of Oklahoma Chronicles of Oklahoma CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE INDIAN PEOPLE TO OKLAHOMA By Muriel H. Wright Page 156 Oklahoma is the youngest commonwealth in the Federal Union. The western part of the state was organized as a federal territory in 1890; the eastern part, excepting the extreme northeastern corner, remained under the ownership and governments of the Five Civilized Tribes. Seventeen years later, these regions were united under the name "Oklahoma" and admitted as the 46th State. However, organization of government and development of Christian civilization began within its borders over a century ago, forming a background of culture and advancement in its history that still plays a part in the making of the spirit of the commonwealth. One interpretation that may be given the term "history" is the story of the formation of nationalities. A nationality is found where a people has become homogeneous in background and vision that—is when united in culture and spirit.

In the development of a distinct nationality in the American Republic of the United States, the Indian people have had a great part. This is particularly true in the development of this State, for the story of Oklahoma centers around the story of the Red Man—the Indian or Amerind. The name "Oklahoma" itself means "Red People" in the Choctaw language. 1 This name was first suggested by a Choctaw, Reverend Allen Wright, in 1866, as that of a federal territory of the Indian people to be organized within the present borders of the state excepting the Panhandle. All the Indian nations and tribes within these borders were to have a part in this territory under a general plan providing that "the United States Superintendent of Indian Affairs shall be the Executive of said Territory, with the title of Governor of the Territory of Oklahoma." Thus, it is seen the name "Oklahoma Territory" literally meant in the Choctaw language "Indian Territory." 1 While a territory of the 1In the Choctaw language, okla means "people;" homma or humma means "red." The English word Indian is "Okla Homma" in Choctaw.

In their treaties with the United States, the Choctaws were spoken of as either "The Choctaw Nation of Indians" or "The Choctaw Nation of Red People," the last phrase in each instance being rendered "Okla Homma" in the native language. Page 157 Indian people was never officially organized, the name "Oklahoma," however, became popularly known and was applied to the central portion of this country and was chosen as that of Oklahoma Territory in 1890. The name "Indian Territory" was suggested for the original Indian country by Reverend Isaac McCoy, the early day Baptist missionary, who did much toward helping the United States solve the intricate puzzle including verbal promises, treaty stipulations and fair treatment of the Indian people in the 1830's. Another name suggested by Reverend McCoy for this country, planned as the final home of many Indian nations and tribes, was "Aboriginia." 2 However, the name "Indian Territory" was retained, though the region was never regularly organized as a federal territory.

Instead, what is now Oklahoma (excepting the Panhandle and the northeastern corner) was divided among five large tribes of the South, living east of the Mississippi River, the first assignment of land having been made the Choctaws in 1820, who acted under the leadership of their noted chief, Pushmataha. These five tribes were in the order of the treaties with the United States, providing for their final removal and settlement in the Indian Territory as nations,—Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, Cherokee and Chickasaw. In this same period, the Quapaws and the Mixed Band of Senecas and Shawnees were located on small reservations in the northeastern corner of present Oklahoma. In the 106 years since that time, other Indian tribes have been settled within the boundaries of the present state, so that one-third of the total Indian population of the United States lives in Oklahoma today. Twenty-nine Indian tribes with their associated tribes are listed under the jurisdiction of seven U. S. Indian agencies in the state. More than fifty separate nations and tribes are represented among Oklahoma's citizens of Indian descent, each nation or tribe having had at one time its own language and customs.

Other citizens of the State are from many foreign countries, though the American colonial stock predominates, giving the State a cosmopolitan population. To these people, the Indians of Oklahoma gave up their last home in America and shared with them the land. 2The original Indian Territory in 1832 was the region extending from the Plate River (Nebraska) south to Red River and lying between the western boundaries of Missouri and Arkansas and the Mexican boundary. Page 158 Of the five tribes from the Southeast in 1830, the Cherokees were considered the fartherest advanced, with a large mixed blood population of English and Scotch descent. For some years, the leading Cherokee families had educated their children according to standards of the time. Their government had been recently organized under a constitution. Sequoyah had already invented his alphabet for the Cherokee language. The Choctaws and Chickasaws had also given up many of their ancient customs, were fostering written laws and the education of their children. The Creeks and Seminoles were very conservative but they were brave people, capable of establishing themselves in their new country as independent nations.

All of the five nations, generally known in Oklahoma history as the Five Civilized Tribes, endured great suffering and deprivation on the journey west. For some years after their arrival in this country, the Creeks and Seminoles were subjected to continued hardship. After several years, even these nations secured better conditions and established peaceful national governments. The Cherokees and the Choctaws together with the Chickasaws were the first to set up constitutional governments in their respective countries, governments republican in form yet in many instances with their new laws based on ancient tribal laws, thus preserving ancient national, Indian characteristics. The Christian religion generally predominated through cooperation between the Indian leaders and the missionaries who were living and working in the nations. Education and the establishment of good schools were fostered. Commerce and agriculture thrived along the larger river systems,—the Arkansas, the Canadian and the Red rivers. Printing presses were set up. Newspapers, periodicals and books were written and published both in the native and the English languages. Scholarly attainment was greatly desired. Thus, Christian civilization was merged with the old tribal cultures in many instances, producing brilliant Indian leaders.

Among the prominent citizens of the Cherokee Nation, 100 to 75 years ago were Elias Boudinot, editor of the Cherokee Phoenix, first Indian newspaper; Sequoyah, a chief and the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet; John Ross, statesman and principal chief for Page 159 forty years; Rev. Stephen Foreman, graduate of Princeton College, collaborator in translating the Bible into Cherokee; William Shorey Coody, author of the Cherokee constitution; Rev. Dennis Bushyhead, well known Cherokee minister of the Baptist denomination; Brigadier-General Stand Watie, statesman and military commander. Their influence produced such leaders as William Penn Adair and Elias C. Boudinot whose writings are found among Government documents that brought about the final creation of the State of Oklahoma. Then there was the great Cherokee poet, John Rollin Ridge. Among the Choctaws, this Indian civilization and culture were fostered by such leaders as Robert M. Jones, pre-eminently the business man and wealthiest planter in this section of the Southwest; also fostered by Cornelius McCurtain, Thompson McKinney, Forbis and Basil LeFlore, Peter P. Pitchlynn, Tandy Walker, Rev.

Israel Folsom and Sampson Folsom, all outstanding for their personality and character. Among the young men who grew up under their influence, were Jonathan Dwight and Joseph Dukes, teachers and translators; Allen Wright, a graduate of Union College, the Choctaw scholar, a minister, statesman, educator, translator and writer; Joseph P. Folsom, a graduate of Dartmouth College, who compiled the Choctaw law book of 1869. Among the older leaders of the Chickasaws were the wealthy planters and statesmen, Pitman Colbert and Benjamin Love. Among the young men was Holmes Colbert who attended Union College and later wrote the constitution of the Chickasaw Nation. When the governments of the nations in the last Indian Territory—the eastern part of present Oklahoma—were dissolved just before statehood in 1907, these Indian nations furnished educated and experienced citizens who took an active part in the founding of our state institutions and have continued in the upbuilding of Oklahoma. Some of them have passed on leaving their people to take a respected and important place in the advancement of the State. Included among the names of leaders of Indian descent within our borders since 1890, are Robert L.

Owens, Cherokee, one of the first United States senators from Oklahoma; Charles D. Carter, Chickasaw, twenty years representative to Congress from the Third Page 160 District; W. W. Hastings, Cherokee, representative to Congress from the Second District, from 1907-34 with the exception of one term; Alexander Posey, Creek, noted poet ,and editor; B. N. O. Walker, Wyandot, author of Indian legends; Houston B. Teehee, Cherokee, attorney and one time register of the U. S. Treasury; Gabe Parker, Choctaw, member of the Constitutional Convention, a designer of the Great Seal of Oklahoma; Dr. E. N. Wright, Choctaw, gifted physician and surgeon, a progressive leader and organizer for the welfare of the Indian people; Reverend Frank Hall Wright, Choctaw, a talented singer, well known evangelist among the Plains Indians and throughout the South and Middle West; Dr. Fred Clinton, Creek, physician and oil man; Douglas H. Johnston, Chickasaw, thirty-seven years governor of his nation; Delos K.

Lone Wolf, Kiowa, recently elected chief of the three important tribes of Southwestern Oklahoma,—Kiowa, Comanche and Apache; Fred Lookout, for many years elected chief of the Osages. Outstanding among women of Indian descent in Oklahoma is Mrs. Roberta C. Lawson, Delaware, president of the National Federation of Women's Clubs. Among other names of leading Indian women of the State are Rachel Caroline Eaton, Cherokee, educator and writer; Minta Foreman, Cherokee (granddaughter of Rev. Stephen Foreman), educator; Mrs. Jessie E. Moore, Chickasaw, first woman elected to a major state office (Clerk of the Supreme Court); Mrs. Czarina C. Conlan, Choctaw-Chickasaw, supervisor of the museum of the State Historical Society for nineteen years; Mrs. W. B. McAlester and Mrs. Alice McCurtain Scott, Choctaw, club women, civic and social workers; Dr. Anna Lewis, Choctaw, head of the department of history, Oklahoma College for Women, writer; Mrs.

Maude Davis Jones, Seminole, interpreter, genealogist and writer; Tess Mobley, Chickasaw, singer; and the late Mrs. Jane Austen McCurtain, Choctaw, who may be counted one of the first women influential as a political leader in Southeastern Oklahoma many years before suffrage for women. Again among the names of Oklahoma Indians who have achieved national and international fame in the field of letters and art are the late Will Rogers, Cherokee; Lynn Riggs, Cherokee, said by a well known critic to be one of the four great dramatists of the day; John Joseph Matthews, Osage, author, whose book "Wah Kon Tah", acclaimed the "good earth" of America, was Page 161 the selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club; John Oskinson, Cherokee, novelist; Todd Downing, Choctaw, brilliant writer of detective stories. Among famous Indian artists known internationally are the five Kiowas—Tsatoke, Hokeah, Asah, Smokey and Mopope.

A limited edition of a portfolio containing thirty paintings by these artists, published in France in 1929, is today a rare volume depicting the art of the Mowas, one of the great tribes of the Plains. Acee Blue Eagle, Pawnee-Creek, has won high rank as an Indian artist. A young man of presence and personality, he is also known for his lectures on art of the American Indian. Today the future of the Oklahoma Indian is in education and in the continued progress of Christian civilization, together with the preservation of the best in native traditions and customs that produced strong leaders and a great art. It is through such forces as these that the Indian has contributed and will continue to contribute to real American culture which will flourish and blossom for ages to come. Nat :: Civil War :: Indian Territory :: Lest We Forget National Archives Guide Index Vol. #1 SECTION J--PRINCIPAL MILITARY OPERATIONS BY STATE OF OKLAHOMA In 1860 the part of the present State of Oklahoma that lies east of the 100th meridian, west from Greenwich, was included in the Indian Territory.

The part of the State that lies west of the same meridian was unorganized territory that has been referred to officially as the Public Land Strip but that was long popularly known as No Man's Land. The situation indicated remained unchanged during the Civil War. A resolution of the Confederate Congress, approved Mar. 5, 1861, authorized the appointment of a special agent to the Indian tribes west of the State of Arkansas, and an act of the Confederate Congress, approved May 21, 1861, provided "for the protection of certain Indian tribes." The full text of this act has been lost, but it offered protection to the tribes of Indians occupying the country west of Arkansas and Missouri. Through treaties made in the summer and fall of 1861 with the Indian tribes, or factions thereof, in the country west of Arkansas, the Confederate government acquired a preponderant influence in that area. Nine such treaties were made as follows: July 10, 1861, at North Fork Village with the Creek Nation. July 12, 1861, at North Fork Village with the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations. Oct.

7, 1861, at Tahlequah with the Cherokee Nation. The treaty with the Cherokee Nation was ratified by the Confederate Congress on Dec. 11, 1861, and the other treaties on Dec. 20 and 21, 1861--all such ratifications being made with amendments later accepted by the Indians. The Cherokee Nation repudiated its treaty with the Confederate States in Feb. 1863. At the end of the war, the Union Army negotiated three truces with secessionist Indians of the Indian Territory as follows: June 19, 1865, at Doaksville with secessionist Choctaws. June 23, 1865, at Doaksville with secessionist Cherokees. July 14, 1865, at no specified place with secessionist Chickasaws. A preliminary treaty of peace and amity with the United States, dated Sept. 13, 1865, was signed at Fort Smith, Ark., with most of the Indians of the Indian Territory, secessionist and loyalist.

Definitive treaties between the United States and the Five Civilized Nations were subsequently concluded at Washington, D.C., as follows: The extent of the present State of Oklahoma was included in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of Operations. Volumes covering operations in that theater cover operations in what is now Oklahoma as follows: Trans-Mississippi Border Approach Feb. 7-May 9, 1861. Vol. I, Ch. VIII (Serial 1). Indexed: 1:719 (Indian T.). May 10-Nov. 19, 1861. Vol. III (Serial 3). No indexing of operations for Indian Territory. Nov. 19, 1861-Apr. 10, 1862. Vol. VIII (Serial 8). Indexed: 8:862 (Indian T.). Apr. 10-Nov. 20, 1862. Vol. XIII (Serial 19). Indexed: 19:1027 (Indian T.). Nov. 20, 1862-Dec. 31, 1863. Vol. XXII (Serials 32-33).

Indexed: 32:972 (Indian T.), 990 (Missouri, Dept. of the). Jan. 1-June 30, 1864. Vol. XXIV (Serials 61-62-63-64). Indexed: 61:1120 (Indian T.); 62:1171 (Indian T.) (Indian T., Dist. of the); 63:879 (same). July l-Dec. 31, 1864. Vol. XLI (Serials 83-84-85-86). Indexed: 84:1171 (Indian T.). Jan. 1-June 30, 1865. Vol. XLVIII (Serials 101-102). Indexed: 101:1559 (Indian T.); 102:1403 (same). SUPPLEMENT, Jan. 1, 1861-June 30, 1865. In Vol. LIII, Ch. LXV (Serial 111).

Indexed: 111:1124 (Indian T.). Five Civilized Tribes History Five Civilized Tribes Map List Native Americans and American Indians: The 562 Federally Recognized Tribes: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) NEW! Recommended Viewing: We Shall Remain (PBS) (DVDs) (420 minutes). Midwest Book Review: We Shall Remain is a three-DVD thinpack set collecting five documentaries from the acclaimed PBS history series "American Experience", about Native American leaders including Massasoit, Tecumseh, Tenskwatawa, Major Ridge, Geronimo, and Fools Crow, all who did everything they could to resist being forcibly removed from their land and preserve their culture. Continued below… Their strategies ranged from military action to diplomacy, spirituality, or even legal and political means. The stories of these individual leaders span four hundred years; collectively, they give a portrait of an oft-overlooked yet crucial side of American history, and carry the highest recommendation for public library as well as home DVD collections.

Special features include behind-the-scenes footage, a thirty-minute preview film, materials for educators and librarians, four ReelNative films of Native Americans sharing their personal stories, and three Native Now films about modern-day issues facing Native Americans. 7 hours. "Viewers will be amazed." "If you're keeping score, this program ranks among the best TV documentaries ever made." and "Reminds us that true glory lies in the honest histories of people, not the manipulated histories of governments. This is the stuff they kept from us." --Clif Garboden, The Boston Before Columbus . Description: 1491 is not so much the story of a year, as of what that year stands for: the long-debated (and often-dismissed) question of what human civilization in the Americas was like before the Europeans crashed the party. The history books most Americans were (and still are) raised on describe the continents before Columbus as a vast, underused territory, sparsely populated by primitives whose cultures would inevitably bow before the advanced technologies of the Europeans. For decades, though, among the archaeologists, anthropologists, paleolinguists, and others whose discoveries Charles C.

Mann brings together in 1491, different stories have been emerging. Among the revelations: the first Americans may not have come over the Bering land bridge around 12,000 B.C. but by boat along the Pacific coast 10 or even 20 thousand years earlier; the Americas were a far more urban, more populated, and more technologically advanced region than generally assumed; and the Indians, rather than living in static harmony with nature, radically engineered the landscape across the continents, to the point that even "timeless" natural features like the Amazon rainforest can be seen as products of human intervention. Continued below... Mann is well aware that much of the history he relates is necessarily speculative, the product of pot-shard interpretation and precise scientific measurements that often end up being radically revised in later decades. But the most compelling of his eye-opening revisionist stories are among the best-founded: the stories of early American-European contact. To many of those who were there, the earliest encounters felt more like a meeting of equals than one of natural domination.

And those who came later and found an emptied landscape that seemed ripe for the taking, Mann argues convincingly, encountered not the natural and unchanging state of the native American, but the evidence of a sudden calamity: the ravages of what was likely the greatest epidemic in human history, the smallpox and other diseases introduced inadvertently by Europeans to a population without immunity, which swept through the Americas faster than the explorers who brought it, and left behind for their discovery a land that held only a shadow of the thriving cultures that it had sustained for centuries before. Includes outstanding photos and maps. Recommended Reading: Nations Remembered: An Oral History of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1865-1907 (Contributions in Ethnic Studies) (Hardcover). Description: This work offers a view of Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, and Seminole life rarely glimpsed by the scholar or general public.... An impeccably researched and readable document that will appeal to specialist and generalist alike. Recommended Reading: The Five Civilized Tribes: Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole (Civilization of the American Indian) (455 pages) (University of Oklahoma Press).

Description: Fascinating and captivating study of the often referred to Five Civilized Tribes, with each tribe's: evolution, struggles, Indian removal, treaties, internal and external strife, and outlook...numerous maps and photographs compliment this research. Continued below... By focusing on all 'Five Tribes' it also presents a better understanding of how the tribes interrelated in the Indian Territory (most of present-day Oklahoma ). While most authors only focus on "a tribe" rather than "the tribes," Foreman, by interconnecting the tribes, conveys a more comprehensive understanding of the Five Nations. Recommended Reading : A Student's Guide to Native American Genealogy (Oryx American Family Tree Series) (Hardcover). Description: This major contribution to young adult genealogy studies helps create ethnic pride, self-esteem, and awareness of the extraordinary accomplishments each ethnic group has brought to the American experience. Designed for use in grades 6-12, this important new series explores the creation of the American people while promoting the use and understanding of solid research techniques.

Oryx American Family Tree Series enhances the social studies curriculum--especially the thematic strands in the New Curriculum Standards for Social Studies-- culture, time, continuity, and change; people, places and environment; individual development and identity; individuals, groups, and institutions; power, authority, and governance; global connections. Continued below... While using the volumes in this series, young adults experience a uniquely personalized opportunity to practice the historians craft as they learn how to collect data, obtain and evaluate documents and sources, use the latest electronic tools for researching, and conduct and record eyewitness accounts of historical events in family life. The volumes carefully describe the challenges unique to researching each ethnic group or region. Also explained are the "why" and "how" of tracing their roots if users are adopted or come from nontraditional families. Also, each book in the series provides basic historical and cultural background information. As young adults explore their cultural heritage, they gain self-esteem, personal identity, and ethnic pride. Each volume in the Oryx American Family Tree Series is packed with hundreds of annotated bibliographic references for print, electronic, and media sources, as well as many helpful organizations.

Every book is lavishly illustrated with 4-color and black and white photographs throughout and features a glossary and an index. The series is published in sturdy 6" x 9" casebound volumes of approximately 200 pages printed on acid-free paper. About the Author The Oklahoma land rush begins - Apr 22, 1889 - HISTORY.com The Oklahoma land rush begins Share this: The Oklahoma land rush begins Author The Oklahoma land rush begins URL Publisher A+E Networks At precisely high noon, thousands of would-be settlers make a mad dash into the newly opened Oklahoma Territory to claim cheap land. The nearly two million acres of land opened up to white settlement was located in Indian Territory, a large area that once encompassed much of modern-day Oklahoma. Initially considered unsuitable for white colonization, Indian Territory was thought to be an ideal place to relocate Native Americans who were removed from their traditional lands to make way for white settlement. The relocations began in 1817, and by the 1880s, Indian Territory was a new home to a variety of tribes, including the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee, Creek, Cheyenne, Commanche, and Apache.

By the 1890s, improved agricultural and ranching techniques led some white Americans to realize that the Indian Territory land could be valuable, and they pressured the U.S. government to allow white settlement in the region. In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison agreed, making the first of a long series of authorizations that eventually removed most of Indian Territory from Indian control. To begin the process of white settlement, Harrison chose to open a 1.9 million-acre section of Indian Territory that the government had never assigned to any specific tribe. However, subsequent openings of sections that were designated to specific tribes were achieved primarily through the Dawes Severalty Act (1887), which allowed whites to settle large swaths of land that had previously been designated to specific Indian tribes. On March 3, 1889, Harrison announced the government would open the 1.9 million-acre tract of Indian Territory for settlement precisely at noon on April 22. Anyone could join the race for the land, but no one was supposed to jump the gun. With only seven weeks to prepare, land-hungry Americans quickly began to gather around the borders of the irregular rectangle of territory.

Referred to as “Boomers,” by the appointed day more than 50,000 hopefuls were living in tent cities on all four sides of the territory. The events that day at Fort Reno on the western border were typical. At 11:50 a.m., soldiers called for everyone to form a line. When the hands of the clock reached noon, the cannon of the fort boomed, and the soldiers signaled the settlers to start. With the crack of hundreds of whips, thousands of Boomers streamed into the territory in wagons, on horseback, and on foot. All told, from 50,000 to 60,000 settlers entered the territory that day. By nightfall, they had staked thousands of claims either on town lots or quarter section farm plots. Towns like Norman, Oklahoma City, Kingfisher, and Guthrie sprang into being almost overnight. An extraordinary display of both the pioneer spirit and the American lust for land, the first Oklahoma land rush was also plagued by greed and fraud. Cases involving “Sooners”–people who had entered the territory before the legal date and time–overloaded courts for years to come.

The government attempted to operate subsequent runs with more controls, eventually adopting a lottery system to designate claims. By 1905, white Americans owned most of the land in Indian Territory. Two years later, the area once known as Indian Territory entered the Union as a part of the new state of Oklahoma. Related Videos Ozarks Civil War | Counties – Raid on Opothleyahola’s camp, December 26, 1861 – Battle of Cabin Creek, July 1, 1863 – Battle of Honey Springs, July 17, 1863 War Department’s Map of The States of Kansas and Texas and Indian Territory, 1867 Image courtesy of the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection During westward expansion, many Native American tribes were pushed out of their traditional territories and into “Indian Territory,” which comprised most of modern-day Oklahoma. The “five civilized tribes”—the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole, and Creek—comprised most of the population that was moved into the area.

The Cherokee were moved into Indian Territory in the late 1830s, following the hard march from their traditional lands in the Southeast which became known as the Trail of Tears. Other tribes in the area included the Wichita, Caddo, Quapaw, Seneca, Shawnee, and Osage. After arriving in Indian Territory, life was not easy for the Native Americans. Many tribes that had been traditional enemies were now forced to live next to each other. Tribes struggled for power amongst themselves, with the Cherokee Nation usually the most powerful. They also had to learn to live in a Western way. They were no longer allowed to carry on their traditional subsistence activities, and tried to learn how to farm. In the two decades before the Civil War, the Native American tribes managed to make a suitable living for themselves. However, they were nowhere near as prosperous as they were in their traditional lands and were still impoverished. When the Civil War began in 1861, most of the Native Americans in Indian Territory supported the Confederacy. The reasons for their support of the Confederacy are numerous. Several of the Native Americans were slave owners themselves.

However, most of the Confederate Support stemmed from the fact that the Native American Tribes deeply mistrusted the Federal government. The Federal government had given the tribes no reason to support them, as they had been almost completely disenfranchised at the government’s hands. The Union also did nothing to regain Native American support when the war began. On April 1, 1861, all Union troops were commanded to leave Indian Territory in Confederate control. Finally, most of the federally appointed Indian agents to the tribes were from the Southern states and exerted a strong southern influence on them. Sensing an opportunity, Confederate President Jefferson Davis sent Albert Pike and General Ben McCulloch to Indian Territory in May, 1861 to negotiate treaties with the Native Americans and recruit them for the Confederate Army. The Confederate commanders wanted Indian Territory as a base to drive Union troops out of Arkansas. Pike successfully negotiated a treaty with the Creek on July 10, the Choctaw and Chickasaw on July 12, the Seminole on August 1, and the Wichita, Caddo, and others on August 12. The Cherokee hoped to remain neutral in the war, wishing to take no part.

However, after the decisive Confederate victory at Wilson’s Creek in August in Greene County, Missouri, they agreed to a treaty. They signed this treaty, together with the Quapaw, Seneca, Shawnee, and Osage, on October 7. Native Americans in Indian Territory fought in several Confederate regiments. These included: The 1st Regiment Choctaw and Chickasaw Mounted Rifles under Colonel Douglas H. Cooper, the 1st Creek Regiment under Colonel Daniel N. McIntosh, the 1st Regiment, Cherokee Mounted Rifles under Colonel John Drew, and the 2nd Regiment, Cherokee Mounted Rifles, under Colonel (later Brigadier-General) Stand Watie, a Cherokee man. Despite the majority Confederate support, there were a large number of Native Americans that supported the Union or simply remained neutral. The tribes were split into Northern and Southern factions. A prominent Creek leader, Opothleyahola, was an outspoken Union Supporter and lead a group of over 4,000 members of several tribes to Kansas to escape the growing Confederate sentiments in Indian Territory. Confederate troops—the Choctaw and Chickasaw regiment under Colonel Douglas H.

Cooper—chased the group and a battle between the two factions ensued on November 19, 1861 at Round Mountain. Opothleyahola’s group was able to escape, but was attacked again in December by Col. Cooper at Bird Creek. This time Cooper had the assistance of the Cherokee Mounted Rifles under Colonel John Drew, but Opothleyahola’s group proved victorious again. After this battle Colonel Drew’s Cherokee Mounted Rifles deserted and joined Opothleyahola. However, on December 26, 1861, Colonel Cooper’s troops and the Creek Regiment under Colonel McIntosh attacked the group, destroying all of their supplies and scattering them in different directions. Many of this group died during the winter, as they had no supplies or food. Opothleyahola was among the dead. Native American regiments were important to the Confederate Army. Stand Watie’s Cherokee Mounted Rifles were played an integral part in the Battle of Pea Ridge in Benton County, Arkansas. The other Native American regiments did not arrive in time to take part in the battle, but they were able to cover the other Confederate forces during their retreat.

After the Battle of Pea Ridge, General Pike, the commander in charge of all of the Native American regiments, confronted the Colonels of the regiments. He was concerned that the Native Americans were not being treated fairly. His concern cost him his post, as he was quickly replaced by General (formerly Colonel) Cooper. The Union Army became involved with Native Americans from Indian Territory in 1862. They realized the strategic importance of the area and launched the “Indian Expedition” in June of that year. Aside from wanting to take control of the territory, the Union army also wanted to help those members of Opothleyahola’s group that had made it to Kansas return to Oklahoma. The Union army felt that they would be better provided for there, as there were few supplies the Union army bases could give them. The Indian Expedition consisted of two brigades from Kansas, one from Wisconsin, and one from Ohio, and was under the command of Colonel William Weer of Kansas. The expedition was a failure, and quickly returned to Kansas. However, the Union army continued attempts to seize Indian Territory throughout the rest of the war. The Cherokee chief, John Ross, was taken into protective custody by the Union Army as they returned to Kansas.

A group of supporters followed him. In Indian Territory, Stand Watie was elected chief. The group under Ross refused to recognize Watie’s election, and officially abolished slavery for the Cherokee Nation. By October, 1862, Union Troops had succeeded in gaining control of Fort Gibson and Tahlequah in Indian Territory. General Blunt, a union commander, led federal troops against General Cooper at the Battle of Honey Springs on July 17, 1863. This resulted in a Union victory. The Union army was also victorious at the Battle of Perryville in September, 1863, when General Blunt again defeated General Cooper. This victory allowed the Union army to take control of Fort Smith. After the fall of 1863, few major military actions took place in Indian Territory. General Stand Watie, however, led frequent raids on Union supporters throughout the Territory. He was so committed to the cause that he continued this activity until June, 1865, even though the Confederacy surrendered in April. The Native Americans in Indian Territory suffered terribly during the Civil War.

Some estimates state that over 25% of the population in the territory died during the war from starvation, disease, and battle. In addition, because they had served in the Confederate army, most of these Native Americans were not afforded any veteran’s benefits. It was a long struggle for these tribes to rebuild and to solve the divisions among the tribes that the war had caused. White settlement began in this area after the war, as well as several mining operations. Oklahoma was officially admitted into the Union in 1907. The counties bordering the Ozarks area, Craig, Ottawa, Delaware, Mayes, Cherokee, and Adair, were formed during the same year. Craig County was named after Granville Craig, a prominent Cherokee, and the county seat was named Vinita. Ottawa County was named after the Ottawa Tribe, and the county seat was named Miami, after the Miami tribe. Delaware County was named for the Delaware district in the Cherokee Nation before white settlement in the area. The County seat was named Grove. Mayes County was named after Samuel Houston Mayes, a Cherokee Chief, and the county seat was named Pryor. Cherokee County was named after the Cherokee Tribe.

The county seat was named Tahlequah because it had formerly been the Tahlequah district of the Cherokee Nation before white settlement. New Mexico State Facts - 50States.com New Mexico Facts and Trivia Santa Fe is the highest capital city in the United States at 7,000 feet above sea level. The province that was once Spanish New Mexico included all of present day New Mexico, most of Colorado and Arizona, and slices of Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Wyoming. The Original American Territory of New Mexico that congress created in 1850 included all of New Mexico and Arizona plus parts of Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. The boundaries of present day New Mexico were drawn by congress in 1863 but New Mexico didn't become a state until 1912. Each October Albuquerque hosts the world's largest international hot air balloon fiesta. Las Cruces makes the world's largest enchilada the first weekend in October at the "Whole Enchilada Fiesta". Lakes and Rivers make up only .002% of the state's total surface area. The lowest water-to-land ratio of all 50 states. Most of New Mexico's lakes are man-made reservoirs.

A dam on the Rio Grande formed the Elephant Butte Reservoir the state's largest lake. The Rio Grande is New Mexico's longest river and runs the entire length of New Mexico. The world's first Atomic Bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945 on the White Sands Testing Range near Alamogordo. North of the impact point a small placard marks the area known as Trinity Site. The bomb was designed and manufactured in Los Alamos. White Sands National Monument is a desert, not of sand, but of gleaming white gypsum crystals. Hatch is known as the "Green Chile capital of the world". New Mexico is home of Philmont Scout Ranch located in Cimarron. Grants was at one time known as the "Carrot capital of the country" until the process of cellophane wrapping began and California took over title. More recently Grants has been known as the "Uranium capital of the world" and produced the bulk of the nation's uranium supply during the post-World War II and Cold War era. New Mexico is one of the four corner states. Bordering at the same point with Colorado, Utah and Arizona.

The Palace of Governors in Santa Fe, built in 1610, is one of the oldest public buildings in America. More than 25,000 Anasazi sites have been identified in New Mexico by archeologists. The Anasazi, an amazing civilization who were the ancestors of the Pueblo, where around for 1300 years. Their great classical period lasted from 1100-1300 AD. The state of New Mexico shares an international border with the country of Mexico. The leaves of the Yucca, New Mexico's state flower, can be used to make rope, baskets and sandals. 1/4 of New Mexico is forested, and the state has 7 National Forests including the Nation's largest, the 3.3 million acre Gila National Forest which includes the Gila Wilderness. The largest fire in the state's history was ignited on May 4, 2000 in the National Park Service's Bandelier National Monument, when a controlled burn meant to clear away dry brush and prevent future wild fires leaped out of control due to high winds.

25,000 people, including all the residents of Los Alamos, were forced to evacuate their homes. In 1950 the little cub that was to become the National Fire Safety symbol Smokey the Bear was found trapped in a tree when his home in Lincoln National Forest was destroyed by fire. In 1963, in Smokey's honor, the New Mexican legislature chose the black bear to be the official state animal. The word "Pueblo" is used to describe a group of people, a town, or an architectural style. There are 19 Pueblo groups that speak 4 distinct languages. The Pueblo people of the southwest have lived in the same location longer than any other culture in the Nation. The Navajo, the Nation's largest Native American Group, have a reservation that covers 14 million Acres. To a certain degree New Mexico's Indian Reservations function as states within a state where tribal law may supersede state law. New Mexico's State Constitution officially states that New Mexico is a bilingual State, and 1 out of 3 families in New Mexico speak Spanish at home.

In some isolated villages, such as Truchas, Chimayo', and Coyote in north-central New Mexico, some descendants of Spanish conquistadors still speak a form of 16th century Spanish used no where else in the world today. The Palace of Governors in Santa Fe is the oldest Government Building in the United States. At Lake Valley, miners discovered silver in veins so pure that the metal could be sawn off in blocks, instead of having to be dug out by traditional methods. The father of modern rocketry Massachusetts scientist Robert Goddard whom some called a crackpot, came to New Mexico in 1930 to test rocket-ship models. From those humble beginnings the aerospace industry became one of New Mexico's leading industries. To test the latest rockets White Sands Missile Range was created on the same land where the first atom bomb had been exploded. After WWII Los Alamos and Albuquerque had many new laboratories. Hundreds of highly educated Scientists and Engineers moved in the state. New Mexico soon had a higher percentage of people with Ph.D.s than any other state. 1 out of 4 workers in New Mexico work directly for the Federal Government. State and local governments are also major employers.

Public education was almost non-existent in New Mexico until the end of the 19th century. As late as 1888 there was not a single public college or high school in the entire territory. Two important aspects of New Mexico's economy are scientific research such as the nuclear energy research carried out at Sandia National Laboratories and mining of natural resources such as oil, natural gas, uranium, potash, copper, coal, zinc, gold and silver. New Mexico has far more sheep and cattle than people. There are only about 12 people per square mile. Since New Mexico's climate is so dry 3/4 of the roads are left unpaved. The roads don't wash away. During the height of the so-called lawless era of the late 1800' when Lew Wallace served as territorial Governor, he wrote the popular historical novel Ben-Hur. First published in 1880, it was made into a movie in 1959 starring Charleton Heston. Saint Paul's United Methodist church in Las Cruces has 7 bell choirs.

The world famous Santa Fe Opera has an open-air (outdoor) theater situated dramatically outside of the capital city in the foothills of the Sangre de Christo Mountains. The town of Deming is known for its annual duck races. Cimarron was once known as the "Cowboy capital of the world". Some of the old west's most famous names, such as Kit Carson and "Buffalo Bill" Cody lived there. A quote from the Las Vegas Gazette illustrates how lawless Cimarron was. "Everything is quiet in Cimarron. Nobody has been killed in 3 days." Roswell the states 4th largest city was founded in 1869 when a professional gambler established a lone store on the cattle trail. Moon Rocks can be found at the International Space hall of fame that is located in Alamogordo. Tens of thousands of bats live in the Carlsbad Caverns. The largest chamber of Carlsbad Caverns is more than 10 football fields long and about 22 stories high. Taos Pueblo is located 2 miles north of the city of Taos. It is one of the oldest continuously occupied communities in the United States.

People still live in some of its 900 year old buildings. New Mexico's largest city Albuquerque was founded in 1706 as a Spanish farming community. It was named after a province in Spain. New Mexico's capital city Santa Fe is the ending point of the 800 mile Santa Fe Trail. The City of Truth or Consequences was once called Hot Springs. In 1950 the town changed its name to the title of a popular radio quiz program. The town of Gallup calls itself the "Indian Capital of the World" and serves as a trading center for more than 20 different Indian groups. Every August it is the site of the Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial New Mexico was named by 16th century Spanish explorers who hoped to find gold and wealth equal to Mexico's Aztec treasures. Native Americans have been living in New Mexico for some twenty thousand years. The Pueblo, Apache, Comanche, Navajo, and Ute peoples were in the New Mexico region when Spanish settlers arrived in the 1600s. On the same desert grounds where today's space age missiles are tested, ten-thousand-year-old arrowheads have been found.

New Mexican history has ranged from arrows to atoms and has embraced Indian, Spanish and Anglo cultures. Few states can claim such a distinctive past. Thanks to: JP Dur, Crucesdale, Gary Harper, Derek Benjamin, Tom Bombaci, Jr., Darla Boyd, Beth Markley

Question: Which present state was once known officially as Indian Territory
Answer: Oklahoma